Memories
by Drake S. Hellion
Summary: Blake, after being confronted by Yang about the man in her notebook, takes her partner and begins to explain who he was and how she met him. And in doing so tells the story of how she came to be involved with the White Fang and how much she'd gone through to reach the person she was now. Rated T for violence, language and dark themes. Now full time story!
1. Beginning

**Memories**

**Author Note: **_This oneshot was inspired by the first episode of RWBY Volume 2 (Which is nine kinds of awesome and you should see it now if you haven't already.), seeing a look into Blake's notebook and her drawing of Adam, frankly, their relationship has always been something of a curiosity for me. And so, this oneshot is my take on that particular relationship._

_Oh, and I edited some events to fit my purposes. Might also make this a series of simple chapters detailing different stages of the relationship between Blake and Adam._

**Start!**

There were so many memories recorded inside the sheets of paper that Blake flipped through in the middle of the cafeteria. All her innermost thoughts straight from her head onto the pages and, combined with notes from her schoolwork. She once thought that keeping such a journal could prove dangerous but now? Now she trusted her friends and teammates to know better than look at her journal.

She flipped another page and came across a sketch she remembered drawing a few weeks prior. The angle, the hair. Golden eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled the scene from which she drew the sketch from. And beneath the text, the rose she'd drawn that _he_ wore.

"_If you don't keep alert, you're going to get hurt_."

"Whatcha doing?" Yang's voice broke the cat Faunus from her reverie with a start. "Oooh, who's that?" the blonde added, tone curious.

Blake jumped slightly and turned her eyes onto her partner while her hands automatically moved to close the book. "Nothing," she dismissed with a small frown. "And no one. Just… a sketch." she replied, staring down at the now closed book. Her eyes drew distant for a full second before she closed them.

When she opened them and glanced at Yang she could see the blonde's lips formed into a trouble-promising grin and her eyes sparked with that tone of mischief that only further enforced Blake's suspicions. "You're going to press the issue, aren't you?"

"Yuuup!" Yang's grin lowered and she instead lowered her voice. "If its too big of an issue, we can wait till we're back in the dorm."

Blake raised a brow. "And if I don't want to talk about the issue?"

"Then I'm going to have to be very _persuasive_." Yang's grinned returned and before she could issue further threat their fearless team leader Ruby arrived with a smashing entrance, or rather, a slamming one since said girl just slammed a book that would put most updated history texts to shame and then some.

While Ruby began to go on a long winded, slightly off track speech when Weiss asked if the particular book was hers, which Ruby expertly deflected with a simple "I am not a crook".

Blake whispered to Yang. "On the roof tonight, I'll answer your questions there." she said, figuring she may as well get it over with. Besides, Yang had proven to be a good keeper of secrets just as well as she could get people to tell them.

"Sweet," Yang grinned, "It will be like a partners night ou-" Splat!

The cafeteria suddenly fell silent as a pie slid off the now covered Yang Xiao Long's face to splatter onto her skirt and thighs out of sight. The blonde in question slowly turned her head to the culprit, who was none other than Nora Valkyrie who was horribly trying to pin the blame on her childhood friend Lie Ren beside her, who was now shaking his head with a palm on his face as if sensing the coming storm.

Needless to say the food fight between teams RWBY and JNPR would go down in Beacon's history for years, if not centuries to come simply because of how angry it made Glynda Goodwitch.

And it was exactly seven hours later when the sun was just disappearing over the distance and the distant city's lights began to take the lost light. Blake sat on the edge of the roof with her eyes focused on the city, one knee raised to support her elbow, which was supporting her palm that she was resting her cheek against.

She sat silent, letting the soft whisper of the wind greet her ears as she reached up and pulled the little black bow from her head. The blackened cat ears shifted slightly as they caught the cool breeze. She gave a soft sigh in relief since it wasn't often she could let herself… just be herself without fear of being discovered by anyone outside her group of friends.

A door behind her opened and the soft steps that followed told her who had just arrived. "Yang," Blake greeted with a turn of her head to watch as her partner sat down next to her. "You're late."

"Fashionably." Yang corrected with a sheepish smile before she adjusted the collar of her uniform and running a hand through her hair as another breeze rolled by, golden locks swaying as they caught the wind.

"So!" Yang said turning to Blake with a small smile. "Who was that in the sketch?"

"An… old friend," Blake began, unsure how to explain it. When Yang didn't seem satisfied by the explanation, the Faunus added quietly. "From the White Fang."

Yang's eyes suddenly lost a bit of their spark and her smile fell into a concerned frown. "Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything bad." she apologized quickly, offering another smile. "We can just sit up here and chat?" she offered.

"No," Blake smiled a bit at how quickly Yang could switch expressions and moods before coming right back to her usual energetic self. "We're here, and… it's not bad memories, per se. Just… I don't know how to explain him."

"Well, when I can't explain a certain thing about someone, I start from the beginning." Yang said helpfully. "So, why not try there?"

"The beginning, huh?" Blake mumbled and looked towards the distant city again. Now entirely glowing from its own lights in the absence of the sun. "Alright," she took a breath and looked at Yang. "I first met Adam-"

"Oooh, Adam, huh?" Yang grinned, brows wiggling. "Sounds like a name that just rolls off the tongue."

Blake's brow twitched. "You want to hear the story, or not?"

"Right," Yang grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry. Go on?"

"Anyways…" Blake tried again with a roll of her eyes. "I first met him at one of the White Fang's rallies…"

_And that was when I saw the once peaceful group begin changing…_

* * *

Blake, then eight years old, stood her ground with a couple dozen fellow Faunus as they held up signs with various slogans, quotes of the promises they were made at the end of the war and the names of the generals and officials who'd promised them peace and equality. She watched as a line of humans stood opposite of them, glaring daggers and grumbling things she couldn't hear beneath their breaths.

Off to the side, human police forces stood at the ready should things turn badly for either side, though a few looked harshly at the Faunus, as if daring them to make a move first to give them a reason. Blake didn't care, humans were wrong and they were being unfair to her kind. This shop refused to serve Faunus. Why? Money was money? It was unfair and she wouldn't stand for it.

So now they were standing outside the shop, demanding "Vale Delights" change their obviously racial policy of only serving humans. And naturally, more than a few humans were upset over this. Upset because the Faunus wanted equality, the very thing they had been _promised_ in the wake of the great war they now had to fight tooth and nail to get from one little shop.

It made her angry and it only made the grip on her sign tighten as she raised it, letting the news woman's camera see it as she and her fellow White Fang members stood their ground, watching as the leader of the gathering spoke into a megaphone, shouting the various crimes committed against Faunus just _because_ they were Faunus.

"And we were promised that we could walk the streets in peace together! Without discrimination!" The leading Faunus cried into the megaphone, raising a fist and prompting the other Faunus to raise their own fists and signs. "And here we stand! Fighting to get that very equality!"

"Yeah!" Blake and dozens of others yelled over the growing yells of the gathering of humans across from them. Their numbers were growing, and they almost double the Faunus ' own at this point after two hours. Still, Blake and the others would stand strong and not be cowed.

It continued like this for another half hour, neither side would bend or break. The humans wouldn't disperse, and neither would the Faunus.

Then the final spark was set loose. "You damned animals!" a nameless human shouted, tossing an empty bottle at the group of Faunus with intent.

The bottle arced and slammed right into the forehead of an elderly man, who fell back from the blow, the glass bottle shattering when it struck the pavement beneath their feet. A few other White Fang members moved to the older man's side, who had a scrape on his forehead and blood leaked from the wound.

Growls reached her ears and Blake gasped as she saw one of their group break off and charge. Teeth bared, eyes narrowed and claws extended, snarling. "Bastard!"

That was all it took for the police, who stood by and watched the "harmless" bottle be thrown to step in. One raised a shotgun loaded with spun rounds and fired, getting the charging Faunus right in the side, the round deployed and with a crackle of power the Faunus yowled painfully and curled up as the round did its job by sending electricity through his body.

The others pulled stun batons and gas grenades were hurled at the Faunus protestors, the grey, eye and throw burning smoke, to a Faunus' more keen senses, put them into agony, their coughed and turned, running as riot police descended onto the ones who didn't get away fast enough.

Blake pulled off her White Fang arm wrap and brought it to her mouth and nose, her eyes stung as the smoke wafted into them and she bit her lip beneath the fabric as she turned and ran in any direction to get away from the smoke that was burning her eyes in the worse way. Without seeing where she was going, she bumped into someone. With a squeak she fell back and her eyes, now bloodshot, opened up to see a riot officer standing above her, sneering as he raised the baton threatening. "Get out of here!" he shouted.

Blake felt fear seize her body, as any eight year old would. The human growled and gripped his baton, "I warned you."

"Leave her _alone_!" An older boy rammed shoulder first into the riot cop's back, knocking the man off balance and onto the ground, right into the cloud of tear gas. Blake looked up, seeing a pair of fiery emerald eyes staring down at her. The boy wore a black tank top and baggy shorts. A pair of black horns poked out from his crimson hair. "Come on!" he reached down, taking her wrist and pulling her up onto her feat with surprising strength.

"We need to go!" he turned, seeing more police arrive, and some humans and more Faunus broke into a full blown street brawl. The boy looked around for a way to escape that didn't take them into the gas or into the brawling crowds.

Blake spotted an alley, pointing she said. "This way!" then tugged him along, the boy followed without a moment's pause and together they made their way across the ground into a side alley, a few Faunus leaned against a building, coughing into their hands and trying to rub their eyes of the irritation.

They passed them. "Come on!" The boy called to them, "We need to get out here before the humans catch us! White Fang or not they won't care!" he himself reached over and ripped his own arm wrap off and tossed it to the side before turning and moving along the alley to wherever it exited. Hopefully further away from the fighting.

Blake reached down and caught the falling fabric before it hit the ground and match her pace with the boys own. The few other Faunus followed after them, two turned and made back for the street, calling back they were going to try and get others out.

They made out the other end of the alley and into a less crowded street. In the distance sirens sounded off and the voices and cries of other people, Faunus and human alike, could be heard. The boy grit his teeth and his eyes shone with emotion. "Come on," he turned and marched along the sidewalk, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Where are we going?" Blake caught up to him, looking as he stared ahead.

"A safe house."

Blake blinked. "Why would we need a safe house? We're just kids…"

"We're Faunus kids," The boy rolled his eyes and glanced at her. "The humans don't care, they just want to kill us, or control us… whatever the hell they want, we don't want it." he grunted fiercely.

The rest of the walk was silent. Blake wasn't willing to speak out and possibly earn the ire of her fellow Faunus, even if she didn't agree with him that the humans were so bad. Some were nice, they had to be since they could understand fairness and didn't hate Faunus. Right?

When they reached the safe house, there were a few other Faunus already there, gathered on the floor and various chairs and beds nursing some wound or tending to another's injuries. Some more severe than others. "Where's York?" the boy demanded, meaning the leader of the rally.

One of the others looked up, then shook his head. "The cops took him and arrested him for starting the rally in the first place, then for obstructing _justice_ in trying to get them police to stop using the gas." A bitter scoff came from the wolf Faunus, who wrapped a bandage around his arm where he had been cut in scuffle.

"They got Mark…" Another sniffled, looking to be around twelve, her large bunny ears drooped. "My big brother's going to go to prison." she placed her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them sullenly.

Blake watched as the moods around them all fell, others falling entirely silent. Others simmered and a few looked outright angry. But it was the harsh slam that brought her attention to the boy who'd helped her, his fist was against the wall and it shook, his eyes shining with murderous intent.

"The _hell_ did you think was going to happen?" He asked rhetorically. "This is what happens when you try to play by their rules! Human's don't care about us, they just want to control us, kill us and cage us like common animals!" he snarled. "You honestly think your rallies and protesting will get them to change?" a scoff. "Force is the only thing humans understand! The only they'll listen to!"

Several of the Faunus looked offended to be yelled at by a child, a few however looked more like they ere agreeing. Some nodded, "Kid's right." the wolf who'd charged first, who had somehow gotten out of the frenzy. "They don't care what we think… look what happened today, they tossed the first stone and we still got the short end of the stick."

"Yeah!" Another one said.

A few looked uncomfortable with being unable to argue or defend their peaceful views. That was when Blake spoke up from beside the boy. "I think… you're wrong." she said, tone soft. When no one turned to her, but she saw the boys ears tick. "I think you're wrong." she added, more firm.

The boy turned to her, looking surprised. "Did you see what happened?" He asked, incredulous.

"I did!" Blake stuttered being faced with such a fierce pair of eyes from the older child. "But I know that fighting won't help our cause, it will just make things worse." she raised her hands to her chest, clutching the fabric she'd caught that he threw away. A sign of his connection to the White Fang. "If we fight, then they'll fight more, and we'll keep fighting… it won't end. It will be like a war again…"

"We're already at war," The boy gestured with his arm to the door. "Just walk outside, just for having those ears," he pointed to her cat ears, which twitched in response. "or my horns." he reached up, poking a fingertip to one of the dark objects. "We're targets for humans. You think peaceful thinking is going to fix that? Has it fixed that yet?" he looked curious, mockingly so. "Because it doesn't seem like it."

"We just have to keep trying then," Blake stomped her foot, looking cross. "You go fight and see where that lands you and everyone with you if you think it's the right thing to do!"

"I know it is!" The boy stepped forward. Emerald met gold and both were fierce in their beliefs. Silence reigned as the two stared the other down before the boy scoffed, "You'll see, one of these days, you'll see." he turned and made for the door. "And when you do, come find me. I wanna say I told you so."

He reached for the door. "Wait!" he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "I didn't get your name." she said, looking a bit embarrassed. He blinked, then sighed.

"It's Adam."

"Well, Adam, thanks… for helping me back there," Blake said, offering a small smile despite their previous argument. "Even if we think differently, I owe you that much. And, I'm Blake, by the way."

Adam stared at her for awhile, then finally he turned his head away. "It's nothing, Blake. Just don't go getting yourself into those situations so often, I won't be around every time to help." that said, he pulled the door open and walked out, slamming it shut behind him.

Blake stared at the door, frowning in concern at the tone he spoke with.

* * *

"And that's when I first met Adam." Blake finished, looking at Yang who was now laying back onto the roof staring at the night sky, Blake at her side as they both watched the heavens.

"Sounds like a bit of a jerk."

"What boy isn't at that age?" Blake replied with a brow cocked.

"Touche," Yang relented with a grin. "So, you were friends with him from then on?"

"No, we didn't see each other for another two years… and by then," Blake frowned, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she went on. "I finally saw what he meant… when he said that when I saw it, I'd understand."

**End!**

_There it is ladies and gents, so, thoughts, questions and the such? Put em in a PM or a review and I shall hopefully get back to ya!_


	2. Death

**Memories**

**Last time on Memories…**

"_No, we didn't see each other for another two years… and by then," Blake frowned, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she went on. "I finally saw what he meant… when said that I saw it, I'd understand."_

**Start!**

Yang's expression faltered again when she saw the look on Blake's face as she explained she saw what her friend, Adam, had meant. "What did you see?" she asked, shifting closer to her partner so that their shoulders bumped a bit.

Blake took another breath before opening her golden eyes and staring out across the city. "I saw a fellow Faunus…" she paused, as if trying to force the word to her lips. "Die."

Yang stared as a new weight descended on the pair when the word was uttered. A heavier feeling pulled down on Yang's shoulders as Blake looked as if she was just recalling a horrible stomach ache. "Two years… but that means you were only…"

"Ten," Blake nodded. "I was ten and I saw someone die. One of my kind." she pulled her knee up and to her chest, wrapping her arms around it in an almost defensive posture. "It was what I needed to see to understand what Adam meant."

"What happened?" Yang all but whispered, raising a hand to plant it atop Blake's shoulder.

Blake sighed softly and looked up with harder, more distant eyes as she gathered breath. "I was on my way home from school…"

* * *

Blake nibbled on the small treat one of her friends from school had gotten her, a tasty icecream bar in the shape of a fish! She had almost ripped into it at school, but she decided to save it in the provided fridge for lunches until the walk home after school. And now here she was happily nibbling the treat after a fairly nice day at school.

Up ahead on the sidewalk, she spotted the very same shop where she'd met Adam. It felt like a lifetime ago actually now that she mentioned it, in the end the shop had agreed to change its policies towards Faunus after the fiasco since during the struggle its windows had been broken and the owner had launched a formal "apology" however grudging it had been that Faunus would not be discriminated against inside the shop anymore.

It had been a victory that week for The White Fang and Blake was happy to know she'd been involved in it. Even if it ended in some arrests and injuries, the White Fang's leadership and some sympathetic humans had gotten most of their comrades out of prison. Not all, but to Blake it was still a victory.

She paused in front of the shop and looked into the window. She spotted two Faunus, but otherwise it was mostly humans around, no surprise. But since the Faunus were animatedly chatting and laughing without being harassed she would take it as another step in the right direction.

Smile on her lips she turned on her heel and continued down the sidewalk, now humming a soft little tune as her cat ears twitched back and further in time with the tune to the humming. She noted the heat had kept many people inside their homes today as there was very little anyone walking, instead there was just a lot of traffic.

That suited her fine, less people to possibly bug her. Human kids always teased her, or wanted to touch her ears. This way she could look forward to a nice calm walk home!

_Thud!_

Blake paused and her ear twitched, turning her head she peered down curiously into a back alley that lead behind some apartment building. She stared with ears forward, listening for further noise. She got it, it sounded soft but that was someone, and it sounded like they were hurt. She considered what to do. Should she call for help? Go see?

A hacking cough followed by trashcans toppling over.

That was all Blake needed to hear before she ran down the alley as fast as her legs could carry her. Her feet padded along until she turned the corner and spotted a Faunus slumped over against a dumpster, his white shirt stained crimson and face bruised and lip torn. One of his ears was half gone, as if cut off.

Blake gasped and rushed forward, "Hey! Mister!" she called, rushing up to him.

He looked up, one eye bruised over, the other upon seeing her widened and he coughed. "N-No! Get out of here!" he waved her off, surprising her, he was obviously hurt!

She ignored him, moving to his side and looking at his wounded side. "You need help!" she urged, concern moving across her features. "Come on, I know some people around here who can help!" she reached up, grabbing his hand and attempting to tug him along.

That was when they heard a drawling. "Come out, little doggy." echo down the alley behind them. The man's eyes widened and he gripped her own, pulling against the dumpster so she pressed against the wall and it.

He looked frantic, frightened. "Do not move." he hissed to her, frightening her. He softened his voice, "Listen…?"

"Blake," The Cat Faunus whispered.

"Blake," he broke into a slight smile. "Stay here, and do not come out, do not make any sound, now matter what you hear, alright? When it quiets down, you can leave. Don't come looking for me, alright go straight-" there was a laugh, the voice getting closer, the footsteps could be heard by her ears. "Go straight home." the man whispered now.

Blake didn't understand, he was hurt… but he sounded so scared. "But… what about your injuries?"

"I'll be fine," he smiled. "I'm tougher than I look."

"There you are!" A voice called from behind the man, sounding giddy. "Thought I lost you boy, but you left a nice trail to follow."

"_Stay down_." Whispered the man. Standing and turning to face the other person who Blake couldn't see. "Easy to talk tough when you have a weapon, _human_." the man moved off out of view as he walked towards the other person, a human. With a weapon.

A tsk. "If I didn't have this, you'd maul me like the dog you are," the voice dripped with mocking. "Just like one of your guys did to my uncle a couple years back, got two scars down his face from your damned claws." a click.

"Probably improved his looks." The man's own voice wavered, but there was definitely his own mocking present, his footsteps stopped.

"Watch your damn tone_, Dog_," the human hissed, voice now venomous. "Or I'll put you down."

"You're going to anyways."

"I might not." the human said with an air of carelessness. "I might be persuaded to let you go."

"And how might I persuade you?"

"Get down on your hands and knees and bark like the dog you are for starters." There now a smirk in the voice. And Blake's own anger rose, she wanted to storm out there and tell that human off. But she remembered the man's words and so, she stayed put.

There was silence, finally, the human said. "Well? What, losing your ear make you deaf? Need a trea-"

There was a spit. Splat. Then an aggravated growl. "You shouldn't have done that, mutt."

"I actually enjoyed it-"

**Bang!**

Blake jumped, her ears twitched and she reached up to plant a hand firmly over her mouth when she recognized that was a gunshot she just heard. A casing struck the ground, a cough before a thud. She briefly heard some footsteps, then the human spoke again. "Told you I'd put you down."

"Go…" a wet wheeze. "To Hell."

**Bang! Bang!**

"Damn dog," the human said. And Blake felt tears welling in her eyes as the thought struck her that if the human found her he could… he would…

Footsteps echoed out, they were getting further away. She closed her eyes, counting. Humans ears couldn't hear as well as Faunus ears, and so if she stopped hearing his steps he wouldn't be able to hear hers. Finally, they faded out.

She broke from the dumpster and looked for the man. She stopped and gasped, falling back onto her rear when she saw him laying on the ground, arm laid across his bleeding gut, and then two more bloody wounds across his chest. Which wasn't moving… nothing about him moved.

She crawled forward, looking at his face. "H-Hey!" she said, reaching out and placing a hand to his forehead, she peered over and saw his eyes open… and staring lifelessly at the sky, mouth half open and spittle of blood coating his parted lips. She felt her stomach wrench and she leapt back against the dumpster, staring at the man.

He was dead… that human killed him. Just like that… for no reason! Her mind struggled to comprehend why he would do that… There was hating a Faunus… but killing them? She brought her knees to her chest and stared at the man until more people arrived. One called the police and soon... Blake's parents arrived to see her telling her story to the police.

She was dismissed... and she ran into her mothers arms and cried for all the tears she was worth.

* * *

Blake's eyes stung as she continued to stare out at the city. She reached up, using a finger to brush away the old tears and sigh, releasing her inner turmoil in her breath hoping to keep her composure. "In the end… I never learned his name before it happened. All I knew is… looking at it now, he'd saved me."

Yang stared in silent shock at her partner. Who just finished telling a tale that honestly both chilled her and made fury take hold in her heart. "Did they ever find out who…?" she prompted, praying they found the asshole who'd killed someone for simply being a Faunus.

"…Yes, they did." Blake whispered. "The evidence at the scene, three casings… no witnesses, no fingerprints. My testimony… it wasn't enough." She wrapped her arms tighter around her knee. "Because I was a Faunus. A kid. But I knew, that voice… I would never forgot it."

Yang stared, then she moved forward and wrapped her arms around her partner, pulling her close until Blake was leaning against the blonde. Yang's heart went out to her, it did. Yang had seen people die, but never like that, not under those sorts of circumstances. "I'm so sorry." she said into Blake's hair.

"It wasn't your fault…" Blake responded, sounding oddly detached as she reached up and wrapped a singular arm around Yang.

"We don't have to continue this discussion, we can go back inside, or-" Yang stopped when Blake shook her head.

"No, this… I need to get this out," Blake said as she looked at her partner, eyes firm but sad. "I want you to understand… a bit more about me, you're my friend and partner. And it will help, for when the others eventually ask about my past." she forced a small smile. "Just… bear with me."

"Alright," Yang nodded, looking Blake over. She didn't want to know, but Blake seemed resolute, so. The blonde brawler asked. "What happened then?"

"Then…" Blake's eyes lit with a flame and a frown formed on her lips. "I got angry."

"And I went to find Adam."

* * *

**End!**

_Yeah, that was dark, I know, hell, I depressed myself with that! But I feel it's the sort of thing that pushes someone like Blake into getting hardcore weapons training and yeah... so, Read and Review, the usual deal. I'mma go be happy._


End file.
